(Left to right) Christina Strawbridge, Kini Zamora, Richard Hallmarq, Samantha Black and Sandro Masmanidi pose during last year’s Benicia Fashion Runway. This year’s event, hosted by Christina S Fashion Destination and featuring “Project Runway” designers,” will be held Saturday and Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Christina Strawbridge)

Benicia’s mini-Met Gala is back for its 10th year, as designers from around the world— including several associated with the Lifetime series “Project Runway”— descend upon Benicia for the annual Benicia Fashion Runway this weekend. The event will be an opportunity to showcase the newest trends in high-end fashion while supporting a local business and noble causes.

The event was spearheaded in 2008 by Christina Strawbridge, owner of Christina S Fashion Destination, who wanted to host a collaborative event with the six other women’s boutique shops operating on First Street at the time.

“This was a brainchild of mine to showcase Benicia as a destination for fashion and beauty,” she said.

The initial event was sponsored by Benicia Main Street and hosted in the courtyard of The Inn at Benicia Bay with approximately 150 people attending. The event continued to be held every year, although over time the women’s boutique shops closed, leaving Christina S as the only such store on First Street for a period. During this time, Strawbridge got in touch with Richard Hallmarq, a contestant on the 11th season of “Project Runway,” and he was able to use his connections in the design and modeling industry to bring top-level talent to the event, which changed venues to the Arsenal and then the Treasury Commons behind Strawbridge’s store.

“We collaborated together to attract designers that were on ‘Project Runway,’” she said.

Although many of the designers come from “Project Runway” and “Project Runway All Stars,” sometimes the guests are even bigger names in the designer industry. In 2014, one of the special guests was Patricia Field, a costume designer who was nominated for an Oscar for her work on “The Devil Wears Prada,” an Emmy nod for her work on “Ugly Betty” and an Emmy win for “Sex and the City.” She also brought along her associate David Dalrymple, who has designed outfits worn by Britney Spears and Beyonce, to showcase his collection.

This year, Hallmarq will be back, and he will be joined by other “Project Runway” stars, including Samantha Black from Season 11 and Amy Bond from Season 16. They will be joined by two designers who specialize in haute couture, a form of high-end fashion in which the clothing is created often by hand for specific clients. The haute couture designers are Adrian Alicea from New York City and David Tupaz from Las Vegas.

The event will kick off a meet and greet Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Union Hotel courtyard, located at 401 First St. Strawbridge said patrons can ask questions of the designers such as what it was like to be on “Project Runway,” what it is like in the industry or what it was like to work with Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum.

“The meet and greet is a cool opportunity,” Strawbridge said. “It’s much more intimate.”

That evening, beginning at 8, there will also be a trunk show that serves as a preview of the next day’s runway show. This part of the event will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Treasury Commons, located at the corner of First and East D streets. The runway show will feature the collections of the five designers as well as Christina S, and will be hosted by Erin Green, a finalist from the most recent season of “America’s Next Top Model.” Following the show and auction, attendees will be encouraged to shop on First Street from 8:30 to 10 p.m.

Strawbridge said this year will have a greater multimedia focus with interviews and films during the show.

“We’ve done a little of that in the past, but it’s gonna be a larger presence,” she said.

Overall, Strawbridge said the event is unlike any other held in the Bay area and is a great showcase for Benicia.

“People come to Benicia and really are surprised to see the caliber of talent that we draw, and the venue itself is just really spectacular,” she said. “I love the fact that we can showcase Benicia as a destination for this kind of fashion, and something that you might see in New York or Paris.”

The Fashion Runway show will be held from Sept. 28 to 29. Tickets are $25 for the meet and greet, and $45 for the runway show. Proceeds from the fashion raffle will benefit Soroptimist International of Benicia and Benicia Women’s Resource Center to provide a Safe House for domestic violence victims. Tickets can be purchased at Christina S, located at 370 First St.; Benicia Main Street, located at 90 First St.; or by calling 745-5125. For more information, go to beniciafashionrunway.com.

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